


I’m Either Gone In An Instant Or Here 'Til The Bitter End

by headlinecreative



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M, Niall's barely there, Sorry for the lack of Ziam, Zayn doesnt talk like at all, and dialogue, but happy ending, its kind of sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 22:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2558288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headlinecreative/pseuds/headlinecreative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The virus didn't happened as fast as everyone thought it would. It happened slowly. When you see it in movies or TV shows it seems to happen so fast. You know time has passed but you think it happened over night, it must have; someone would have done something to stop it. But they don’t.  </p><p>(or the one where there is a zombie apocalypse, Louis and Harry are a tragedy waiting to happen, Zayn and Liam are just trying to survive, and everything's sad for a while... till its not)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I’m Either Gone In An Instant Or Here 'Til The Bitter End

**Author's Note:**

> this was based off a dream I had about a week ago. It is also dedicated to my friend Kass who got a Zayn tweet back the other day and is awesome. Hope you enjoy!

The virus didn’t happened as fast as everyone thought it would. It happened slowly. When you see it in movies or TV shows it seems to happen so fast. You know time has passed but you think it happened over night, it must have; someone would have done something to stop it. But they don’t. 

They let it happen. They can’t hunt down the person in time. It spreads and you are stuck in this world where you are either alive or dead (in a sense of the word). But there is time before that happens. They do find the person. Quarantine them. Try to find a cure. But it doesn’t help. The virus spreads through contact; it takes days before people even realize they have it. Then you’re trapped. 

In movies the rich live in sanctuaries, protected from the world around them. That doesn’t happen. It’s too late for that to happen. Sanctuaries exist but you’d be lucky to find one. And that’s just the easy part. 

****

They boys found that out the hard way. It was during their break. They hadn’t been working on anything new or touring, it was too dangerous and no one was listening. The virus was spreading and they didn’t want to be apart. So they stayed at Louis and Harry’s house. It was big enough to fit all of them and far away from the virus, at least they thought. 

They had been sitting on the couch talking. That’s all they ever really did. The power came in waves and TV was all reruns anyways. Niall had offered to get them all beers but when he stood up he fainted. He was only out for about 30 seconds but it was enough. 

“I'm just dehydrated lads. Nothing to worry about”, he told them but they all knew. 

They next day they told Niall they were leaving.

“I know. It’s okay really. I wouldn’t want you to be forced to do something like… well you know”, he didn’t have to say it. They all knew. Liam and Zayn walked out, not wanting to stay any longer. When Harry reached out to hug Niall Louis grabbed his arm and slowly shook his head. The mere fact that he could hug his friend goodbye brought Harry to tears. 

That was a month ago and they were still wandering. Niall was long gone by now, replaced by one of those… things. They hadn’t been able to find a permeant spot to rest yet before those things attacked. So they traveled, hoping that someday they would stumble upon a sanctuary. They never did. 

It was starting to wear on all of them. Liam was too angry, killing anything he could, whenever he could. Zayn never talked anymore. Just followed them, dark bags under his eyes, only time they hear his voice was at night. And most of the time it was just screaming. Louis had the weight of the world on his shoulders and Harry could tell he was about to break at any moment. He was the leader of their little group, he always was, but now was different. He was holding them together in a different way, protecting them from actual death instead of just hurtful words and screaming fans. And Harry. Harry didn’t even know his place anymore. He just survived and followed Louis. Cause he would follow him till the end of the world, which seemed to be happening sooner than expected. 

He didn’t think he had a space. That it wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t there. He didn’t provided anything and with the way they had left Niall… they were disposable. But if anything happened to him Harry knew they would carry on, keep moving forward. And as sad as that thought was he knew Louis would too, even if it took some time. 

****

It had been like any other day. They had made their way to an airport hotel combo. They had been traveling about a week to get there. It was big enough for them to stay at least a month or two if lucky enough. The sun was setting and power was on and the place was illuminated like it was bustling with people. Harry looked over and saw Louis smiling. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Louis smile like that. He almost cried when they reached the doors and they opened for them. He heard Zayn laugh, actually laugh, and walk inside the building they would call home. Liam followed and Louis after that. Louis turned and held his hand out for Harry but before Harry could grab it the lights went off and the doors slammed together. 

The shock was the hardest thing to get over. He just stared at Louis with wide eyes through the glass as Louis started back before he saw Louis start to panic. His eyes darted around and his hands tried to pry the doors apart but it was no use, Harry was trapped on the wrong side. 

“It’s okay Louis, they will open in a few hours and I’ll get in”, he yelled at him calmly through the glass and Louis shook his head. 

“No, you need to be in here now Harry. It’s not okay and don’t try to tell me it is”, the thing is Harry knew it wasn’t okay. He knew what would happen and so did Louis. 

And it happened faster than both of them had thought it would. It had been an hour, maybe more. The sun had set and a full moon was high in the sky, shinning down on the airport. Louis had been resting against the glass, talking to Harry about anything but the situation at hand. Liam and Zayn had gone to find food and should be back soon. 

They had been playing tic-tack-toe, both breathing on the glass to make their game board. Harry marked an X on the board when he heard it. The faint echo of someone walking on cement and the dragging of lose clothes. He knew Louis couldn’t hear it yet, the glass was too thick. 

“Hey”, he said and Louis’ eyes snapped up from the board and to meet Harrys. 

“Yeah”, he said, sensing that something wasn’t right, pressing his hand against the cold glass. 

“I just want you to know that I love you”, and said and placed his hand over Louis. 

Louis studied Harry’s face for a minute, trying to figure out what was wrong. That was another thing, you couldn’t just say ‘I love you’ without the other thinking something was wrong. Most of the time something was. 

“Harry”, Louis breathed out and Harry just let out a shaky breath back. “Please don’t say this means what I think it does.”

“It does”, he breathed and had to look away to avoid the earth shattering look on Louis face. 

“Please no. We can get you in, I didn’t try hard enough!” he said desperately, before pouncing back at the door and pulling with all his might. 

“It won’t work Lou”, he said and Louis just shook his head, pulling harder and harder with each try till he collapsed on the floor, hands still in the crack of the door. 

“Please don’t do this to me”, Harry barely heard him whisper, like it wasn’t meant for him to hear. 

“There’s no way it’s not going to happen Louis. Liam as all the guns and all I have is a rusty old knife on me. I was never good at combat stuff anyways”, he told him and Louis shook his head, still looking at the ground and not Harry. 

“How much time?” he asked and Harry stopped and listened. He could hear some moaning and the footsteps getting closer. 

“5 minutes maybe, it’s too dark to really tell but they sound close”, he said and Louis just sat still. 

Harry was surprised that he was so calm about the whole thing, he should be scared, should be trying to pry open the door with Louis, crying with Louis, but he wasn’t. It was too late. If they open the doors now those creatures would get in as well. And Harry didn’t want Louis to remember him be a sobbing mess. 

“Louis, you have to go”, he said and Louis head snapped up so fast it gave Harry whip lash. 

“Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you!” he screamed and Harry just shook his head. 

“I don’t want you to see me die”, and with that Louis let out a sob. 

“Don’t say that”, he said with a shaky voice and Harry gave him a sad smile. 

“We both know what’s about to happen, and I don’t want you to see it happen. You left when Niall asked-“

“WELL I WASN’T IN LOVE WITH NIALL!” Louis screamed, cutting Harry off and making him want to punch right throw the glass and kiss Louis till they both couldn’t breathe. 

They didn’t say much after that. Liam and Zayn arrived with a handful of food and drinks before they took in the scene in front of them. Zayn dropped everything, making an echo as it hit the floor and Liam just stared. 

“Lou, you have to go”, Harry said again and Louis shook his head while banging against the glass. Harry knew it wouldn’t break. Airports had installed bullet proof glass a couple years ago. No matter how hard Louis banged it wouldn’t break. 

“I'm not leaving you”, he said stubbornly and Harry sighed. 

“Liam”, he said and Liam only nodded before coming over and grabbing Louis from behind. 

“NO, Liam let me go now!” he yelled but Liam didn’t even budge. 

“I'm sorry Lou but I can’t let you see this happen”, Harry said and Louis opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he saw the look on Harrys face. 

This was breaking his heart as much as it was Louis’, maybe even more.

“I love you”, he said and Liam let go of him, trusting that Louis would come on his own. 

“I love you too. Promise me you will keep fighting Lou. Promise me you won’t give up once I'm gone”, he said and Louis just looked at him and said nothing. “Promise me!”

“I promise!” Louis screamed back and then they just looked at each other. Liam could see the outline of bodies slowly approaching behind Harry and tugged on Louis’ arm. 

“We got to go”, he whisper and Louis didn’t even flinch, just kept looking at Harry, eyes scanning over him like he was trying to memorize every little detail, even though Liam knew he already had that information in his head. 

“Go Louis”, Harry said and Louis did. He turned with Liam and Zayn and ran. He ran away from the glass door and the zombies and the love of his life. He ran till they reached one of the hotel rooms that locked that Liam and Zayn had found before his legs gave out the moment the door closed. He felt like screaming, he felt like crying, but all he did was sit against the cold metal door and know Harry wasn’t right behind him. 

****  
Louis was numb. He thinks he’s been numb ever since this whole thing started. But Harry kept him going. He knows Harry never thought he had a place, that he just existed in the group, but he had a purpose. He kept Louis together, he was the reason Louis tried so hard to protect them, the reason he got up in the morning, the reason that Louis was happy when he had no right to be. And now he was gone. 

It had been three weeks. They had waited the night out in the hotel room. Liam and Zayn didn’t try to talk to him. Louis didn’t want them too. About half way through the night he began to cry. He thinks about them. How young and in love they were. How they had been on top of the world and nowhere to go but up. He thinks about their tattoos and how they are a reminder now of what he has lost. He thinks about the ring that had been sitting in his pocket for far too long and the ring he knew Harry had hidden in one of their dressers. He thinks about the day he found ‘thinking about adoption’ in the computer search history. He thinks about all those things and just cries till there’s nothing left. 

In the morning when they check the door Harrys not there. There are blood stains on the door and a zombie or two rotting on the ground. Louis focuses on the bloody hand print smeared across the door and how a trail of blood is smeared on the concrete like someone was being dragged. When he steps closer the doors open. He turns his back and walks away. 

And now three weeks later he’s having a really hard time keeping his promise to Harry. But he will. Because he is -was- Harry, and Louis would never break a promise he made to Harry. Never.

****  
It’s been a month since Harry’s death and Louis world starts and stops again. He’s reading through an old magazine while sitting in one of the boarding areas. He’s reading an article about them, how their tour was going so well, the new album was number one in god knows how many countries, and how they couldn’t be happier. He almost laughs, but he doesn’t. He can’t. Then he hears it.

“LOUIS!!!” Liam’s voice echo’s through the airport and it’s so panicked, so serious that Louis runs as fast as he can to find him. 

He finds Liam and Zayn in front of the big set of windows where you would normally watch planes take off. They are staring at something outside. Their eyes wide with shock, mouths hanging open. Louis’ almost scared to know what’s out there but he walks up to the windows and looks out. 

When something huge and dramatic happens in someone’s life they usually describe it as their world just stopped, Louis’ was the opposite. It was like the world started turning again and he could finally breathe. 

Because limping their way to towards the airport was Harry. A bloody and bruised but very much alive Harry. A non- zombie Harry. 

His clothes were torn and bloody and his hair was a mess and he was holding his arm for dear life but he was there. And when he looked up his eyes meet Louis’ before he smiled and then collapsed. 

****  
Harry was alive. Louis had to keep repeating that to himself just because he liked to hear it. They had taken Harry to one of the hotel rooms after he passed out. He was dehydrated and far too skinny for Louis’ liking but they could deal with that all later. For now they had to wait for him to wake up. 

“He may be infected Lou, you shouldn’t be touching him”, Liam had said when he saw Louis holding Harrys hand. 

“Fuck off”, and Liam did. 

After a few hours Harry woke up. He moaned and opened his eyes ever so slightly before looking over at Louis and smiling. 

“Hey”, he whispered and Louis thought he might cry. 

“Hi”, he whispered back and when Harry smiled a little bit brighter he really did cry. 

****  
It turns out Harry is infected. It was one of the first things he had told them. He told them about how he fought against the hoard of zombies that night. How he had managed to almost win till one chomped down on his arm before Harry had a chance to permanently kill him. He tells them about how he left. He knew he couldn’t come back, he knew he would be gone in less than a month and he couldn’t do that to them, to Louis. But after a month he’s still fine. He’s still human. But he’s still changing. And he knows where there’s a cure. 

It’s just about a week’s travel from the airport. A little sanctuary that is giving out a cure to whoever can make it before they ship it to the rest of the world. 

“We have to go”, Liam says and Zayn nods in agreement but Louis just stares at Harry. 

“What if you don’t last the week?” he asks and Harry just looks back at him like he already knew that answer. They all did. 

****  
So they leave. They leave the minute after Harrys done explaining how to get there. Zayn was able to kick start a car for them, which cuts their travel time in half. Liam drives for about 5 hours before he gets too tired and none of them wants to take his place. 

They stop on the side of the highway and lock the doors. Liam called the back two seats of the car, which meant him and Zayn got to share the back. The car didn’t have trunk, just open floor space that would be used as trunk space. So Harry and Louis crawled back there and settled down.

Harry didn’t want Louis touching him, in fear that he might infect him. Louis doesn’t have the heart to tell Harry he already has. So they lay down facing each other, not talking, just looking. 

“I missed you”, Louis says after a while and Harry just looks at him before saying “I missed you too”.

“Don’t make me watch you die again Haz”, he says and Harry sighs. 

“You didn’t watch me die the first time.”

“You know what I mean”, and Harry does. 

“I love you”, Louis whispers, realizing he hasn’t said it since Harry has gotten back. 

“I love you too”, and before Harry can stop him Louis kisses him. 

He kisses him and it’s the best thing both of them have felt in months. It feels like home and it feels so right that they both never want it to end. But Harry comes to his senses once Louis sticks his tongue in Harry’s mouth.

“Lou”, Harry says as he pushes Louis away. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

“Of course I do. But I’d rather die with you then live another moment without you”, he says with such raw emotion that Harry can’t help but to pull Louis in and kiss him till they both feel alive again.

****  
They arrive two days later. The sanctuary welcomes them with open arms, unlike most that would just turn them away. It has actual cooked food and beds and running water and the boys all cry at one point or another. 

Harry and Louis sign up to get the cure together. There’s a waiting list of course but it shouldn’t be long until they are able to have the blue liquid injected into their blood streams and become virus free. 

They are sitting at one of the picnic tables eating some actual cooked chicken when Zayn talks for the first time in months. 

“Holy shit”, is the first thing he says and the boys are so busy staring at Zayn in aw that they fail to notice what Zayn is looking at. Which just so happens to be Niall. 

“You have got to be kidding me”, Louis says as his eyes land on the blonde boy, who is sporting a bright smile and looks healthy enough that he could do 20 back flips in a row. 

“Haven’t seen you guys in a while”, is all Niall says before they all tackle him to the ground in a massive group hug. 

****  
It turns out the cure doesn’t just cure those who are in the beginning stages of infection but those who were thought to be completely gone. Niall has been at the sanctuary for weeks, adjusting back to normal human life. 

Harry and Louis get the cure after a week of being there. No one knows why Harry never showed any symptoms of turning after the bite and they take a sample of his blood for testing but that’s all Harry would consent too. He didn’t need to be anyone’s experiment. 

The world slowly starts to get better. The cure is sent out and it starts to get better. The world doesn’t change overnight though. It still needs to be put back together again. People need to be put back together again.

Louis feels like they have done enough waiting. But when he hears Zayn talk or sees him smile. When Liam laughs at one of the jokes Niall makes. And when Harry laces their fingers together and smiles at him like Louis his entire world he thinks it’s alright. He can wait as long as he has too. He’s got everything he needs right here.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if it sucked


End file.
